Montgomery’s son Sam was born in 1999 with cerebral palsy. Montgomery was awarded £5.25m compensation because doctors did not explain the risk associated with a normal birth in her case – she is small and a type 1 diabetic. Diabetic mothers can give birth to larger babies and one of the risks is shoulder dystocia, when the baby gets stuck during labour and can be deprived of oxygen, and suffer brain damage, which happened in Sam’s case. Her obstetrician did not discuss that risk and did not offer a caesarean section. It was a case that established that, rather than being a matter for the clinical judgement of the doctor, patients should be toldwhatever they want to know, not what the doctor thinks they should know.